About Le Diplomate
100 Very Best 2014
100 Very Best 2019The hottest restaurant of 2013 is still a tough table to get. That’s because few places thrum along at such a high level and get so many things right, from the smoke-stained Parisian decor to the house-made baguettes and excellent cocktails (try the new Libation sans Représentation, a mix of sparkling wine and apple-and-cherry-infused gin). Fewer still are as suitable for brunch with the kiddos—who can resist those pancakes?—as they are for a birthday splurge (two words: shellfish plâteau). There have been more service hiccups of late, but at least the staff knows that most things—a late-seated reservation, a dish that takes forever to arrive—can be soothed with a round of free bubbly or dessert. Expensive.
Also great: Onion soup; foie gras parfait; mushroom tart; warm shrimp salad; skate grenobloise; cheeseburger; crème brûlée.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Kristen Hinman has been editing Washingtonian’s features since 2014. She joined the magazine after editing politics & policy coverage for Bloomberg Businessweek and working as a staff writer for Voice Media Group/Riverfront Times.
